


gross, man.

by agotdamnclown



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Doctor Leo, Fainting, Family Fluff, Gen, Sickfic, Swearing, bc... i mean come on man, donnie be like 'i refuse to let myself have a self care day. i wont', im hoping raph and mikey arent ooc?? i have a harder time writing for those 2 :pensive:, im not updating this anymore sorry u_u, leo and mikey have adhd, mikey is just worried for his brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:33:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22606312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agotdamnclown/pseuds/agotdamnclown
Summary: Headache and general body aches? Check. Throat made of sandpaper? Check. Really damn annoying chills that seemed to wrack him despite the fact that he was still wrapped up in a blanket? Check. He knew he didn’t have to continue his mental checklist to come up with his problem. Besides, if he thought too much his head was probably gonna crack open like an egg.--donnie develops mild brain rot as a side dish to his illness((on indefinite hiatus, see chapter 3 for details))
Relationships: Donatello & Leonardo & Michelangelo & Raphael (TMNT)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 128





	1. shit hits the fan (asmr)

**Author's Note:**

> all of my followers: gee, rowan! how come your brain lets you have two WIPs?  
> me: *starts sobbing*
> 
> anyways i'll post the second half of this as soon as it's actually finished lol

Somehow, Donnie could already tell he was going to regret even waking up today.

It wasn’t a nagging feeling in the back of his head he got whenever he could hear Leo yelling about God knows what, or the utter disappointment he sometimes felt while reading the chat logs. No, this time it manifested itself in massive, distinct discomfort all over.

Headache and general body aches? Check. Throat made of sandpaper? Check. _Really damn annoying_ chills that seemed to wrack him despite the fact that he was still wrapped up in a blanket? Check. He knew he didn’t have to continue his mental checklist to come up with his problem. Besides, if he thought too much his head was probably gonna crack open like an egg.

Sitting up and swinging his legs over the end of his bed, he was quickly overcome with a dizzy spell. Shaking his head to try and dispel it, he glanced down at the blanket still wrapped tightly around his legs and wondered if the others would question him dragging it around with him.

After a moment of thinking, Donnie decided he’d rather uphold his dignity than walk around with a blanket over his shoulders like he was trying to cosplay a superhero from one of Mikey’s old comics. Unfortunately, that left him with nothing but his mask and goggles, and it was _really_ cold for some odd reason. Very odd. _No,_ he decided, _you can’t apply the first stage of grief to this. It doesn’t count._ Nodding his head in firm approval at his decision, he tossed the blanket aside, stood up, and nearly fell over at the chills it brought.

_Right. Today was going to be delightful._ Grumbling in discomfort, he walked over to his _temporary_ clothes basket and dug out a random piece of clothing. He could have cried in delight when he randomly pulled out one of his favorite purple hoodies, but instead opted for triumphantly pumping a fist. Attempting to slip the jacket on quickly yielded negative, as the _almost_ tolerable aches came back full force, making him wince. He pulled it on slower than he would’ve liked, but still enjoyed the small amount of warmth it brought him.

Sighing, he massaged his pulsing temples as he made his way out of his room. Looking down, the drop from there to the first floor suddenly seemed a lot larger. He gulped, kneeling down for a moment to avoid toppling off the ledge from the bout of dizziness that once again hit him.

_‘Leaping down from a higher floor to the atrium is perfectly safe, mind you. Given our nature as, ehem,_ mutants _, we’ve demonstrated an ability to descend great heights with little harm…’_ is a point he tends to reference for himself on different occasions. Normally, he would smirk at his past words as he does a striking flip midway down his descent. As it was, he simply felt too sluggish and achy to even attempt it. His pounding head also removed any chance of him trying to calculate the odds of cracking his skull open on the skateboard ramp.

With a sigh - and an immediate stifling of the urge to clear his raw throat - he stepped off the second floor balcony down to the first floor.

And, of course, things couldn’t go his way _at all_ , could they?

His feet hit the ground, the impact feeling harder than it usually does and making the incessant banging in his head worse. Groggily he noted the presence of his youngest brother, Mikey - giving him his usual toothy smile before going back to his sketchbook. Not two seconds later, it was like someone flipped a switch in his body from “cold” to “hot.” Overwhelmed with the sudden wave of dizziness and _heat_ , he swayed, instinctively bringing a hand to his head.

“ _Whoaaa…_ " Groaning, he stumbled slightly, jutting his free arm out in an attempt to balance himself. At this point, he was too light-headed to notice Mikey giving him a strange look. “I-I think the floor _is_ made of lava.”

“Dee…?” The younger got up and began inching towards Donnie, “You okay, bro? You’re, uh...” He chuckled lightly, but it was tinted with nervousness, “looking a little green.”

Donnie would have scoffed at the bad joke if he wasn’t marveling at the black dots in his vision. “Huh? Yeah, yeah, just…” His words died in his throat as he wiped the back of his neck of sweat that seemed to have manifested out of nowhere. The floor was looking _awfully_ comfortable right now. Maybe he could just… 

_No!_ He wouldn’t do that in front of Mikey. He has a _bad boy image_ to uphold, after all.

“Just tired, ‘s’all,” Dismissively, he waved his free hand, keeping the other busy with massaging his worsening headache. “I-I just stayed up a little too late last night.”

The younger turtle frowned, “Again? Man, Dee, you need to set more alarms,” He paused, tapping a finger to his cheek, “Or louder. ‘S’what I do.” Tilting his head a bit, he got a closer look at his second eldest brother. While he did enjoy them, Donnie didn’t tend to wear his purple hoodies in the lair; only when he went topside to help April with something. And not just that. He had a tendency to space out, but right now his eyes looked unfocused and cloudy and _wrong._ Now Mikey was a little worried, “Are you _sure_ you’re fine, bro? I mean-”

“What? Yeah, yeah, totally,” Once again Donnie simply waved a dismissive hand, cutting off his brother’s obvious concern. He thought for a second, before shakily yawning into his hand. It was only partially fake - he was absolutely exhausted, though not at all for the reasons he was trying to convince his brother of. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Uh, lemme check. It’s...” Quickly, Mikey ran over to his beanbag where his phone lay, discarded from earlier. A quick check revealed... “3:37 in the PM!” 

_Woah._ Donnie never slept _that_ late, even when he pulled an all-nighter. No wonder his youngest sibling looked so... uneasy. Which wasn’t a surprise, he supposed. His sleeping schedule was rather out of whack, ever since he made the all-important discovery that _caffeine does, in fact, increase awareness, thus awakeness._ Which was about 3 years ago. Huh. Ever since, when a certain project held all his buzzing (sometimes literally) excitement and full attention, sleep was the last thing he wanted. So, of course, he staved it off with the bitter yet refreshing taste of coffee as black as his soul. He just couldn’t help it after a while - how great was it that he could easily complete multiple projects at once with nothing but a cup of lukewarm dirt? Sure, it didn’t work sometimes, and sure, he probably developed a dependance on it about 2 years ago, but it was still effective. At least, it was until sleep finally grabbed him in a choke-hold and made him cough up both his lunch money and his dignity. Luckily, with that new feature he was working on for S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., that shouldn’t happen again-

He doesn’t realize he’s just been staring at Mikey for about a minute and a half until the younger is snapping his fingers in front of his face. Donnie blinks and, with years of experience under his shell, manages to utter a dazed “Whuh-?”

“Earth to Donnie, bro. You were spacin’ out like you were Leo, or somethin’.”

He blinks again. Then Mikey’s words sink in. _Oh shit, I was staring at him. I really_ am _worse than I thought._ Shaking his head and immediately stifling a hiss of pain, he turned away from his brother in the direction of the kitchen, “Sorry. I, uh, I just-” Before he could come up with an excuse, the pain in his head seemed to increase ten-fold and even brought its good friend: vertigo. He stumbled, hand going to his head as the room seemed to spin even worse than before.

Mikey wasn't a stranger to Donnie acting... weird, sometimes. That's just what happens when you have a mad scientist for an older brother. This, however, was past the point of _Donnie being Donnie_ (as Leo liked to call it.) There was something wrong, and now it was more obvious than ever when he saw Donnie almost trip over his own feet. “Huh- Donnie? What’s up?” Mikey’s voice took on a slightly higher pitch with nervousness, and he approached his older brother, hands hovering slightly above the other’s hunched, trembling form.

If he was even able to, Donnie wouldn’t have had a response. The discomforting but tolerable sensation from before had become so much worse; His head felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles, while the inside was filled to the brim with cotton and preventing him from having a halfway coherent thought. Meanwhile the rest of his body suddenly decided to become one of those brick ovens Mikey wanted so badly. So then why the _hell_ couldn’t he stop shaking? The now minuscule logistics section of his brain told him his answer quite well. _Isn’t it obvious, moron? You’re sick. Seriously, just tell Mikey. He’ll help._ Why didn’t he just ask for help? How come he wouldn’t make this situation easier for himself? Dignity? Self-worth issues? Both? What was with the spots in his vision?

The youngest nearly jumped out of his shell when the other’s legs buckled, and not a second later gave out. It wasn’t until his snout made painful contact with the floor did Mikey finally snap out of his funk. “ _Donnie_?! H-Hey!”

The hooded turtle groaned when an unknown force turned him mostly onto his shell, piercing his already throbbing head with the much too bright light. It took him too long to realize it was his brother turning him over. A cool hand cupped his cheek, and he nuzzled into it with a blissful sigh even as the hand’s owner gasped. The hand was so comfortable. He was so _tired._

“ _Omigosh-_ Raph! Leo! C’mere! Donnie’s-”

…


	2. what's up, doc?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> doctor leo has entered from stage right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to everyone who was waiting patiently for a chapter update: im so fucking sorry lmao
> 
> ANYWAYS chapter 2 was getting pretty long (almost 2k words!) and i myself was getting impatient with my writer's block, so im cutting this fic into 3 chapters instead! i'll try not to make the next update so far this time hgsdjfghksd

One thing Leo could say for certain is that he was  _ really glad _ Donnie had lent him some of his old books on first-aid. Especially after the shitshow that had just occurred in the atrium.

As a tot, Leo was always the one most clearly interested in the medical field. He’d  _ ooh _ and  _ aah _ as he watched the medics on TV work their magic, he’d swipe the dusty medical books that Donnie kept on his equally dusty shelf to pore over the contents and big words that he, at the time, could hardly even understand. He was  _ ecstatic  _ when dad had managed to find a mostly unused first-aid kit during one of his supply runs.  _ This is what you’ve been training for,  _ his six-year-old mind had told him,  _ Your first doctor’s kit!  _ Of course, it belonged to  _ everyone -  _ but he had his fun for a short time. Slapping colorful band-aids all over Raph’s face and Mikey’s shell was strangely comforting back then.

His slightly older brother, Donnie, was on the opposite side of a similar coin. The two were both interested in science, but Donnie ultimately preferred the mechanical, engineering side of the department. Poking and prodding others along with excessive questions and  _ excessive talking in general _ meant that going into first-aid wasn’t his priority. He had slightly above-average knowledge on certain things - how to prevent infection through wounds, how to treat concussions, etc. - but otherwise left it to his younger twin.

Leo didn’t mind this, of course. He enjoyed being the designated medic of the team - it was one of the few things he could easily focus on, and having an important role like that felt good in a team like this where everyone else had  _ something  _ to bring to the table. Raph was the tank, Donnie was the brains, Mikey was the  _ everything.  _ And he could be the medic.

_ the only thing you’re good for,  _ a nagging voice liked to tell him sometimes,  _ playing nurse.  _ He ignored it.

After a few too many missions topside gone awry, he decided it was time to bring out the big guns. Big guns roughly translating to a small, portable first-aid kit stored in one of his belt pouches. It contained the basic materials - band-aids, gauze, alcohol wipes - as well as things he added in himself - a small thermometer, a stopwatch, and far more bandages than the kit originally provided. After all, you could never be too prepared with a family like his.

He had never come to regret that decision - it was handy, it was never a hindrance, and he  _ always _ had it when moments came up. And he definitely didn’t regret it now, with his older twin lying restlessly unconscious next to a near-hysterical Mikey.

* * *

At the time, Leo had been relaxing in his room, aimlessly watching one of his Jupiter Jim tapes as his tired mind began to wander into the depths of internal rambling - he was barely processing the movie even though it was already half-finished. _Better myself than some poor soul who gets too close, I guess._ He chuckled aloud at that. It wasn’t like he could control when he suddenly _had_ to talk about something he liked. _Or like I even want to sometimes…_ _Eh, whatever, it doesn’t matter._ Didn’t it though? It wasn’t like that stuff didn’t matter-

He was abruptly ripped out of his haze when a distressed cry sounded through their home.

_ “Raph! Leo! C’mere! Donnie’s-” _

But Leo was already shoving the blankets off of his stiff form, getting ready to bolt out of his room. Normally, he might have taken his time. Ripping his attention away from anything usually took  _ time,  _ anywhere from 10 seconds to another hour. This was a different case, as he’d never heard that level of anxiety in his brothers’ voices, let alone  _ Mikey. _ Mikey could overreact about things sometimes, sure, but didn’t they all? It was only natural.  _ This  _ wasn’t, from the sound of it. And damn it, Leo would go through hell and back eight times over before he’d ever make anyone think he didn’t care about his family.

Hand hovering over the curtain that separated his room from the rest of the lair, he took a deep breath, willing himself to  _ chill out  _ and to put on an air of prominent casualness.  _ It  _ could  _ be nothing, after all. But…  _ He quickly slapped himself before  _ that  _ thought process could continue, and pulled the curtain aside to step into what could very well be the lion’s den.

It was, thankfully, not the lion’s den; lacking in lions or krakens or general madness. Raph had apparently gotten there first, and attempting to console Mikey while looking nervous himself. It was funny - he was probably freaking out even more than Mikey, but still tried to keep up a mask of  _ somewhat _ in-control. Probably didn’t wanna freak the other out even more. It was admirable, in a way.

Pushing the curtain out of the way, Leo strode over, a deceiving air of casual ease following him. Inside, he felt almost as scared as Mikey looked, but he had to keep everything under control. He  _ was _ the main doctor in the house, after all. It didn’t help that he could see his immediate older brother lying on his shell next to the other two, seemingly unconscious.  _ That  _ definitely wasn’t worrying. Nope.

Sweeping his hands out to encompass the entire area, he boomed, “Alright, alright! Step aside,  _ mis amigos.  _ The doctor is in.” After the two reluctantly scooted away from Donnie, Leo dropped down to his knees and began prodding the other. Lifting the hem of his hoodie  _ (damp hoodie. gross,)  _ revealed no hidden wounds or damage, so that was crossed off.

“Mikey, you called us in, so you must’ve seen what happened, right? Can you tell me-”

The youngest shook his head fervently, “I-I don’t know what’s wrong with him, man! He just came out of his room and looked kinda weird so I was like ‘Yo, Donnie, what’s up?’ and he was just like ‘Oh, nothing, I’m just tired  _ even though I went to bed on time last night. _ ’ ...He didn’t say that last part- So then he asked me for the time and I gave it to him and he started spacin’ out like you do and then  _ he just fell over a-and I didn’t know what to do because he was breathin’ weirdly and he’s super warm and- _ ” Leo stared at him, occasionally nodding, even after the other’s words began to blend together and stutter. Mikey knew he was rambling, but he could hardly help it - what else were you supposed to do when your brother just conked out while standing up?

“Hey, hey, quit that,” Thankfully, Mikey’s near nervous breakdown was cut short when his eldest brother gently squeezed his shoulder. Turning to look up at him, Raph smiled, “It’s okay. Leo’s got this, right?” Mikey hesitated, before nodding firmly. The eldest turned back to their current doctor-in-action, “You, uh,  _ do _ got this, right?”

Leo waved dismissively, scoffing lightly, “Relax. I’m the doctor here,  _ Raph. _ ” After confirming that Donnie had no injuries of any kind, aside from a steadily darkening bruise on the end of his long snout - if what Mikey said is anything to go by, it was likely from his collapse. Leo’s eyes wandered up to study his face. Even with Donnie’s face covered slightly by his hood, the clamminess of his skin was still noticeable, along with the slight flush adorning  _ (heh. right,)  _ his freckles. He cupped the other’s cheek with his hand, and immediately recoiled - it was uncomfortably hot.

“ _ Shit- _ ” Well, it was at least obvious now what the problem was. Judging by Donnie literally fainting, it was most likely some kind of flu strain. Leo sighed as relief flowed through him - it could have been a lot worse than too much physical exertion.

He turned to Raph and Mikey, briefly filling them in with sternness that was rarely seen from the blue-clad turtle, “Unless I’m missing something here, it looks to me like some kind of flu strain. He’ll  _ probably _ be fine.”

“The flu?” Raph echoed, tilting his head slightly. He put a hand on his masked head, “Ah, jeez, how’d that happen-”

“ _ Probably?!  _ What d’you mean  _ probably _ ? I-Is there something else wrong or somethin’?” Mikey abruptly cut his brother off, words dripping with anxiety.

Leo clapped a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, “Mikey, no, hey. It’s- no. I’m trying to be a realist here, okay?” He reassured Mikey, before turning back to Donnie. He hesitated, before pulling the other’s hood down and poking the side of his head with a pinky. “Donnie.  _ Dooonieeee…  _ C’mon, bro, time to get up.”

Memories of that day in the junkyard briefly played through Raph’s mind, and he grimaced in sympathy for his brother. “Uh, Leo, I don’t think that’s gonna…”

Said turtle purposefully ignored him, continuing to poke Donnie and repeat his name like a mantra in hopes that he would eventually stir. Mikey began to fidget, twiddling his fingers and curling his toes repeatedly. He felt like he should stick around until…  _ ‘this whole situation’  _ got sorted out, but he was quickly growing restless. He wanted to move, wanted to run, wanted to  _ do something,  _ but-

Leo’s prodding came to a halt when his finger was weakly swatted away. He nearly flashed a cheeky grin at Raph that screamed  _ i told you so _ , but bit his lip and instead leaned it towards the perpetrator. Glassy red and blue eyes irritably peered at him, half-closed and drooping ever further, and Leo nearly did a leap for joy.

“ _... _ Fffuck _ oooooff…  _ ‘m tryin’ t’ sleep…” Donnie’s voice was barely above a mumble, forcing Leo to strain his hearing to make out his…  _ formal _ statement. Before the younger of the twins could even think of anything to say to  _ that,  _ the other’s eyes had already fluttered shut. Soft snoring could be heard - Donnie had fallen asleep faster than he’d woken up.

Huh.

“Huh,” Mikey echoed his thought with a small, slightly helpless shrug. “Guess he  _ is  _ fine?” Raph only snorted, but the tension in his expression was visibly melting with quiet relief.

Fine could have been an overstatement, depending on the perspective. Donnie would live, sure, but… He should at least be put into a more comfortable position, Leo thinks. Somewhere that isn’t the middle of the cool concrete that was still littered with more than a few pebbles and, since Mikey’s arrival, crumpled balls of paper. 

Heaving a sigh, Leo gently sat Donnie up, putting an arm around his shell and hooking the other under his knees, picking the sick turtle up with only a slight stumble. “Ugh. Okay, I’m just gonna take him to bed, and hopefully, he doesn’t- and he did it. Damnit,” Leo glowered at the arms of his brother now hooked around his torso. Sending a glare to his other, snickering siblings, he hissed, “Not a fucking  _ word _ .”

Grinning, Raph held his hands up in surrender as Mikey tried to stifle his giggles behind a fist, “Hey, it ain’t like we didn’t see it last time, bro!”

“That’s the  _ problem!”  _ Leo irritably yelled over his shoulder, before taking a jogging leap up to the second-floor balcony in the direction of his older brother’s room. As he reached the circular doorway, he sighed wearily, looking down at his slumbering sibling. “Real funny-men, eh, bro?” He smirked lightly.

No response. It’s fine - he wasn’t really expecting one at the moment.


	3. a/n: update

yo. it's been a while since i last updated this, huh?

here's the thing: i'm. not really happy with how this story is going lol. this was one of the earlier things i wrote, so a lot of the character moments don't really make sense? idk this whole thing isn't really working out and im not sure how i'd continue it in a way that didn't make you think "wow. this is dumb"

so.. yeah! after this, **im not gonna be updating this story anymore.** sorry to disappoint. i'll leave it up, as im sure there are some people who do enjoy it, but.. yeah. sorry

**but uhjh some good news!** i do still enjoy the concept i originally had for the story, so i'm going to basically rewrite the whole thing. it'll probably be shorter than how this version was going to go, but im mostly confident that it will be more enjoyable and faithful to the show's characterization

...and yeah, that's it. see you all soon

-rowan u_u

**Author's Note:**

> in case it wasn't obvious im not happy with this


End file.
